


i don’t like this anymore than you do

by itstiredandy



Category: Haikyuu!!, haikyuu
Genre: AtsuHina, Homesick, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Royalty AU, Slow Burn, cus I’m hella biased, idk what more to put here, just not from the first few chapters, skensjbdsj, there’s going to be a bit of bokuaka too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24645808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itstiredandy/pseuds/itstiredandy
Summary: Hinata Shouyou is the prince of a small nation in need of financial help while Miya Atsumu is the prince of a larger nation in need of natural resources. So their parents, rulers of the kingdom, decide to help each other with an arranged marriage. The two princes however, are both against this idea since day one.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 23
Kudos: 146





	1. i don’t know you

**Author's Note:**

> ayeeeeeee i have fallen into atsuhina hell and it’s brought me back to writting haikyuu fanfiction,,, we’ll see how this goes, hope you enjoy!

It's in the warmth of the air that Shouyou finds Taiyou to be his home. It's in the light that shines past six in the afternoon, the breeze that is just strong enough to shake a few leaves, the smell of said leaves mixed in with grass and the baked goods from all around the village. 

Ah, and it's especially in the impossibly delicious smell of recently made pork buns from the Ukai Bakery. 

Shouyou gravitates towards it because of said smell, a feeling of bliss surrounding him. The glass separating him from the buns is taunting, he thinks. His stomach growls because he refuses to eat breakfast every day and it is already midday, the time of day when most people have already eaten at least twice while he- well, you already know. 

"Yo, Hinata!" The baker, Keishin, greets him as an old friend. "You know you don't need to do all of this for the pork buns, your Highness."

"Shou-nii hasn't had breakfast yet." His sister lets him know, ogling the dorayaki herself. 

Keishin laughs with his full body and deep voice before he hands Shouyou two medium boxes with both their favorite goods inside. With his hand at the bottom, Shouyou can feel the warmth. 

"Thank you!! Man, I'm going to miss coming here every day."

"Ah, I'm sure you'll like Gekkou, your Highness."

Shouyou half giggles. "Yeah. Thanks again!"

The siblings walk out. At some point as they're wandering around, Natsu tugs at her brother's sleeve.

"Shou-niiii-" She cries out. 

"Yeah, Natsu?"

"My legs hurt!" She pouts "Can we go back home?"

"Sure." He smiles down at her.

Then, he proceeds to spin on his heels to turn the other way, back where they came from, pulling Natsu along. The girl giggles from the small half twirl. 

When they reach the Hinata castle, guards hold their right hand up and nod in acknowledgement before opening the gate for them. Shouyou goes to the garden. His sister runs to her room before going after him, holding a book. She lies it down, sits on the wooden part of the floor and starts flipping pages. Shouyou watches his sister before he turns to the sky. The clouds are few so it's easy to see how wide and blue it is during the day. The prince is hypnotized by it until he glances down, catching a glimpse of a familiar strand of hair.

"Kenma!" He greets his friend, trimming a bush nearby, with a wave. "Hey!"

"Shouyou." He acknowledges him with a simple head nod.

"Ah, just get here already!"

"I'm working, Shouyou."

"And I can vouche for you if someone comes, just sit down." He pats the spot next to him on the marble bench. "Please?"

Kenma sighs but lays down the big scissors he held and took a seat next to the prince. It is right then when Shouyou lets his shoulder drop.

"What is it?" Kenma questions after side eyeing him.

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Ah, that soon?"

Shouyou lets out a snort. "Yeah… We're having dinner today as a sort of going away party. And you're invited too!! Tadashi and Aone are also coming."

"Hm- I'll be there if I have nothing else to do."

"Keenmaaaaaaaa- we won't be seeing each other again for a long time." He leans towards his friend, with puppy eyes and a pout. 

The gardner grunted. "Fine, I'll go."

"Thank you, Kenma! I promise you won't even have to talk if you don't want to, we'll just eat and you can sit next to me and it won't go on for too long." Shouyou holds out his index finger. "I really promise."

Mirroring the action, Kenma locks their fingers together for a second. Shouyou then gives a little squeeze before letting go. 

Kenma stands up. "See you then, Shouyou."

"Thank you, Kenma!!"

With his friend getting back to work, Shouyou goes back to watching the sky while his sister keeps on reading. His eyelids grow heavier, his thoughts slipping more by the minutes and soon, he dozed off on the bench. 

He doesn't know how long it's been when he feels someone shake him awake. It's his sister calling, telling him the going away dinner was supposed to be starting already. That's what makes him jolt up. 

The dining room, as big as it is, feels fuller this time around. Maybe it's because it is the last time Shouyou will be there for a while or because all the people he knows well are gathered there at once. He just feels like there's an entire world around just him, and it's the most comforting thing he could get before his trip. 

"Hey guys!" Shouyou smiles at everyone, taking his seat at his edge of the table, Natsu taking his right side. 

The food had been set on the table before he arrived, he noticed. 

"Shouyou." His mother called from the other side. "You're a bit late for your own dinner, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm sorry- just kinda, fell asleep in the garden." 

She laughs, shaking her head. "Be more mindful next time, sweetie. Your friends have been waiting."

Shouyou rubs the back of his neck, looking at the three boys sitting to his left. They all nodded, Tadashi smiling as he scratches the top of his lip while Kenma and Aone keep it at just the head gesture.

"Sorry, sorry-" The prince bows. "It won't happen again."

"Say, Shouyou, what do you think Gekkou is like?" Tadashi keeps the conversation going.

"Ah…" 

While he thinks, everyone starts grabbing their shares to put on their plates. The sound of metal clicking with metal fills the room and Shouyou inhales the smell of the food with contempt. 

He's humming up until he finds an answer to give.

"I have no idea!" He says. "It's so far away… I kinda imagine it being the complete opposite of Taiyou."

"So, cold weather-" Kenma starts.

"Large villages, different topography-"

"What's topography?" Natsu questions.

"A place's physical features, such as mountains or valleys." Their father replies after he swallows down the bite he's taken of the steak on his place.

"You packed coats, didn't you, Shouyou?" His wife began. "And an umbrella! The Miyas have told us it rains over there quite a lot."

"I did-"

"And remember to send us a letter as soon as you can." 

"Guys!" Shouyou huffs. "I'm only going tomorrow morning! I'm still here but it feels like you're trying to say goodbye right now."

"Oh no, sweetie, that's not how I meant it-"

"I know! But leave all of the checking if I did things and tearful words for when I actually have to leave to the port, please? I want to have fun with you guys right now."

Silence falls. From the corner of his eyes, he sees the reactions of his friends. Aone has his arms crossed over his chest, with a stone hard face that says something along the lines of 'yea, we can leave goodbyes for later', if Shouyou can read him correctly. Tadashi smiles at them with sadness in his eyes, no doubt he'd be squishing Shouyou in a hug if it weren't for the fact that they were eating. And Kenma, well, his face hasn't changed since Shouyou entered the room. But Kenma doesn't like goodbyes. The prince didn't need to read his face to know that.

"Of course, Shouyou." His father breaks the quiet atmosphere. "We'll just miss you, is all."

"I'll miss you all too." He gulped in response, feeling his eyes sting. "So much. And that's why! So let's eat, I swear can hear this meat call my name-"

This incited his family and Tadashi to laugh out loud. Meanwhile Aone and Kenma grinned. All in all, the not at all thought out comment livened up the conversation, and Shouyou felt tension release from his muscles. 

He adored the people at that table. How would it feel so be away from them for so long?

*

The ship he was supposed to take would sail at five pm, sharp. 

Shouyou had a castle maid wake him up an hour prior. His family was sound asleep, then having said their goodbyes to him before going to bed. Aone, Kenma and Tadashi would meet him at the port before his departure. 

He saw his friends arrive together. All of them sleepy, but Kenma being the most visibly grumpy about it. 

"Hi." He waved at them.

Tadashi was the first to go in for a hug. "Have a safe trip, Shouyou."

The prince snorts, squeezing back. "I'll try."

"No, no trying, just doing."

"Okay!!"

"Shouyou-" Kenma sneered at him with squinted eyes "Did we have to do this at five in the morning?"

"Eh, I didn't choose the time, Kenma. It's so I get to Gekkou in the morning, it's an entire day to get there, ya know?!"

"Hhpf… you still owe me one."

"Hai, hai. Gonna miss you too, Kenma."

His friend eyes him from between the strands of his own hair falling on his eyes. "Send letters."

Shouyou smiles back. "I will."

And then Aone steps forward, holding out a hand for him to shake. Shouyou does, keeping the smile for him too. When they're done, they bow towards each other and Shouyou feels his eyes sting again. He's cursing this entire arrangement now. Well, he's been doing it for a year already but now more than ever. 

He takes a step backwards and looks at the three again.

"See you guys again soon." He says, stepping on the board to the ship. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Tadashi yells out. "See youz Shouyou!"

The other two wave as the crew unties the rope from the deck. Shouyou watches his friend while they're still leaving shore, waving right back. And he feels like he has so much more to say but the words refuse to come out - and he doesn't even know what words those would be if they did. His brain was scrambled. From lack of sleep or frustration? Maybe both. 

After the Taiyou kingdom disappeared in the distance, Shouyou realized just how exhausted his body actually was. He did have very little sleep before waking up to be on the ship. So, he drags his feet down to the room underneath the deck and lets his body fall on one of the hammocks inside. 

Hours later, he's woken up by the sound of horns from bigger ships passing by. He jumps up and out of the hammock, running towards the window. The sky outside is still dark but a sun seems to be rising in the horizon. This alone means they were already quite far from his homeland. The sun rose early in Taiyou and set late. He'd been sleeping for a few hours… It was probably close to ten in the morning by then. 

Shouyou runs upstairs.

The wind meets him and pulls his hair back, making his eyes flutter until they can adjust. A strong smell, salty water, reaches his nose and it makes him scrunch it up. That's when reality decides to hit him.

His heart aches, but he refuses to feel sorry for himself. Right, he was being taken to a kingdom he knew next to nothing about to get married to another prince he also knew next to nothing about. He would still get to explore a new place, at the very least!

Until the ship arrived in Gekkou, Shouyou had more time than what he knew what to do with. But he started with exploring the ship, which wasn't that big. Bellow deck there were only the room with the hammocks, and above, you had the sails, the captain's stage and the pole for the man who yells 'LAND AHOY!'. He watched the captain when he was done. 

The woman with impeccable posture had kind eyes, but a strict policy on the crew. She looked out for them, Shouyou thought. A bit like a babysitter, he laughed at himself for realizing. 

Eventually, he moved on to asking the crew about Gekkou. 

"Oh, it big." The guy in charge of the sails told him first. "Got land that stratches far past what yer eyes can see. And the weather ranges a tad depending on where yer at. It changes quite fast too. Now the people… those are somewhut complicated. Smaller villages got people who are accepting of strangers but the ones from the capital tend to be a tab more reserved, very snotty, if I can be honest with ye, yer Highness. But aye, the food! It really the best part, I reckon, they got some great dishes over there."

"The land is bigger than Taiyou's, fer sure, but smaller than it we seem tuh think." The man from the pole contradicted. "It's only illusion that is goes further than what yo can see. Their moutains kinda help with that. And actually, they block the wind in some places too, so be careful with the weather, yor Highness. Yo should be fine at the castle though. One thing I think yo'll like are the festivities, they are vibrant and loud, 's far as I can remember."

Everyone else he talked to gave varying opinion on roughly the same topics. But they all did agree that: Gekkou was a big kingdom and that it's weather was more unpredictable than Taiyou's and drier too. 

Their ship docked while Shouyou had been listening to the captain's input. It had been raining on them for a while too, growing the pour growing thicker as they approached the shore.

"Here we be, yer Majesty." She smiled down at him, after parking the ship. "Have a good rest of yer journey."

He sighs, trying to deal with the water running down his face and hair. "Thank you, captain!"

Another crew him lowers the plank for him and he skips his way down to the dock. And he takes it all in. He's hit with a wall of sound first - the call of merchants mixed with those of seagulls, steps of heavy boots all around and the friendly chatter of the people. And when he breathes the air, he smells the sea water, of course, but other things along with it such as, gun powder and fresh fish. 

Amisdt of him observing everything, he almost misses someone calling him. The rain stops above him too. It's because of a Gekkou official holding an umbrella over his head, who's there to take him to the castle, ah yes, he'd been told about that.

"Welcome to the kingdom of Gekkou, yer Majesty." They bow. "I trust ye had a pleasant trip."

If Shouyou had thought the ship's crew's accent was strong, this official's accent double those. But perhaps that was only because he spoke faster. The prince was just satisfied he could still make out what he said without having to ask for them to repeat. 

"I did." He gives a polite smile. "Thank you."

"Yer baggage shall be taken care of by us, worry not. Follow me in the meantime. I've been instructed tuh give ye small rundown of Gekkou's histury while we get ye tuh the castle." 

"Will do." Shouyou says, staying at the official's side. "But hey, how far is it to the castle?"

"Ah, quite far, yer Majesty. But the two of us shall be takin' the trolley."

The trolley, as Shouyou would come to see, was a vehicle made with strong metal, that travelled also by metal on the roads, harboring some cushioned seats inside. Obviously, there was a bit more to it than that but Shouyou couldn't tell just by seeing at the thing. Regardless, it was more advanced than what they had in Taiyou. The prince inspects it with the same curiousity he holds inside himself, almost like a child who sees the sun for the first time. From the corner of his eyes, he can see the official's reaction. They seem rather amused judging by their little smirk and Shouyou grumbles at it. Why was this a source of entertainment for the stranger?! 

Shouyou spent the rest of their ride giving him the stink eye, ignorining what they said. He knew it was about Gekkou and it's history but that's nothing he couldn't learn from histoey books later, the Miya castle was bound to have a big library. 

They stopped at a point that seemed rather odd for Shouyou. It was this big fountain in the middle of a park, apparently but he saw no castle in sight. He did, however, he a carriage with the Miya crest.

"This is as far as the trolley goes, yer Majesty." The official explained as they stepped out. "And it is also where I leave ye. The carriage will take ye tuh the castle, as ye might've guessed." They bow before Shouyou again. "Enjoy yer stay, yer Majesty."

"Ah-" The prince takes a moment to process, as the rain still pours over him. "Thank you."

A guard opens the carriage door for him. Inside, Shouyou takes his seat in a soft somewhat bouncyish surface. He grabs at the edge because he loves the feeling of silk. And he jumps a bit because he can. 

It takes about ten minutes for them to get past any sort of gate and three more for then to actually reach the castle. From the vehicle's window, Shouyou can see a long awning was set between where he's supposed to step out to the front stairs. 

When the door's opened from the outside, he's surprised by two things at once: the sound and light from camera flashes and a hand floating in his direction. Shouyou takes it as a courtesy, unaware of who's hand it is. However, the reporters around him make sure he knows, they yell a name.

"Prince Atsumu!"


	2. i don't understand you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys enjoy this!

Six in the gods' wrath morning.

Atsumu Miya was used to waking up early in the morning, hell it was in his job description but - B U T, and he could not express this enough - six in the morning just to greet his betrothed annoyed him. It annoyed him down to his very bone. He would smash the alarm clock against the wall if he thought that would help in any way. 

Even the start of the day was a testament to how ridiculous his situation felt. The heavy rain was a literal and physical manifestation of his own desire to stay in his bed and put a blanket over his head so he could go back to sleep and pretend his responsibilities didn't exist. 

His brother had other plans.

"Ya look like shit." Osamu made sure to tell him before he could sit up on the mattress.

"Yer mouth talks shit." He rebutted, rubbing his eyes in a semi-awake state. "And yer breath stinks. Whada yer even doin' awake already, anyhow?" 

"Makin' sure ya don't miss prince Hinata's arrival. Mom would bite both our heads off."

Atsumu rolls his eyes and drags himself off of the bed with a yawn. "I think I'd rather let tha' 'appen."

"Yer pathetic."

"Shuddup and marry the shrimp yer self then."

"I would but the marriage isn't just to benefit our kingdoms, it's to improve yer public image too. So suck it up, 'Tsumu."

He groans, sliding his feet on the floor to get himself to his wardrobe, opening its door to block Osamu from his own field of vision. "Ya know I love yer pep talks 'Samu, but now I gotta get dressed so shoo-"

"I'm goin' but yer better be downstairs in ten minutes."

"Haaaai-" 

Atsumu grabs one of the hangers. It holds his white decorated shirt along with long black high waisted pants. In another hanger, he finds his dark grey and gold coat. So he puts them all on with a pair of brown boots and leaves his room.

His parents are waiting for him by the entrance door with Osamu. And they walk outside, to stand at the top of the castle's stairs, being greeted by a group of reports. The King and Queen smile and wave, Osamu and Atsumu have to smile with their hand behind their backs. Atsumu does it only because he has to.

When the carriage bringing prince Hinata arrives, he walks down the stairs to offer the foreign prince a hand. Hinata's is like a lightweight and warm in his own. His fiance doesn't seem to realize the one helping him out of the vehicle is his soon to be husband. Well, not before the reports call out the name, anyhow. 

Brown orangish eyes widen at the sight of dark brown's. Atsumu smirks. Hinata smiles back but it is much more see through - his lips falter and his eyes basically yell 'please kill me now'. It would be amusing if Atsumu didn't feel exactly the same.

They stop under the awning before going up the steps, just to let the reporters take pictures. Atsumu holds Hinata by the arm farthest from him, in a sort of side hug. And then he has to lead his fiance towards his family while the castle guards usher people outside. 

Prince Hinata bows before the Miya's. 

"Your Majesties, your Highnesses. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Prince Hinata." The King nods at him. "It is a pleasure to have yah with us. Now, please, come inside and we can discuss ever'thin'."

One glance at him and anyone can tell Hinata is lost. He keeps the smile that never quite reaches his eyes and walks on forward behind the Gekkou rulers with careful steps. Atsumu and Osamu follow him. 

"He's pretty good looking." His twin whispers.

"He is."

Atsumu won't deny it. Prince Hinata might be one of those people who are objectively pretty - might not be everyone's type but nobody can call him ugly. Regardless, none of that means anything to Atsumu. There's no beauty in a face he doesn't know. There may be allure but when talking about human beings, Atsumu thought, there was nothing scarier. And scary can be beautiful, but only when it's not so close to you.

The five of them stop after the front door closes behind them and they reach the throne room. The King and Queen don't sit, standing in front of their seats instead.

"Prince Hinata." The Queen starts. "How was your trip?"

"Ah, nice I think!" He smiles, with a bit more heart behind it. "I got to hear a lot from your kingdom from the crew, your Majesty."

"Oh, good things, I'd hope."

"Yes, very, actually! I'm excited to learn more."

"That's wonderful to hear! Perhaps Atsumu can take you downtown, yes?" He asks, looking at the son she mentioned. "But of course, you'd have to take guards as well."

"Oh."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not at all. I just hadn't realized it was necessary. Back in Taiyou, I would always leave by myself. But it is a smaller country and my parents had me learn self defense from a young age, just in case."

"Ah yes." The King cut in. "Ye'll find that procedures here are quite different, we'll have someone go over those with yah later."

Prince Hinata bows in response. "Thank you."

Huh. Atsumu already knew the gesture was a show of gratitude from Taiyou, yet it looks so formal, it stands out a bit. 

"Atsumu, my boy," the eyes are once again on him, "have you spoken to your fiance yet?"

What a question. At what point during the entire time the five of them were all together did his father hear Atsumu vocally interact with Hinata?

"'aven't had a chance yet."

"Right," He turns back to their guest, "you'll have a lot of time to talk when Atsumu is giving you the tour."

"There are only a couple of things we must let you know before then. One, you shall be appointed a history tutor so you can learn more about Gekkou. Two, the wedding ceremony will be held in about a month and three," The Queen smiled at Hinata, "this is your home as of now. Please, treat it as such."

Oh, even Atsumu hated to hear that one. Of course his mother had meant well, yet what she said sounded like a borderline insult to Taiyou. And judging by the way Hinata falters before replying, he thought the same.

"Thank you, your Majesty." He managed to say.

"Atsumu, now, go on-"

The prince sighs with a yawn. "Yes. Prince Hinata." He faces him as they walk towards the hallway. "I have an entire castle tuh show yah, might takes us about two weeks to see ever'thin'."

"Two weeks?!" The shorter one ran to catch up to him. "Really?!"

"Yea, shri- Prince Hinata. Would yah like to see your room first?"

"Ah, yeah!"

They walk in silence, Hinata eyeing every inch of where they go through with wondrous eyes. He's almost like a child. And Atsumu thinks that in the worst sense.

His parents let prince Hinata have one of the guest rooms, the only closest to the twin's bedrooms. Atsumu opens the door for Hinata, letting him in while he waits outside. He leans against the wall on the other side of the corridor.

From the inside, he hears Hinata's gasping in awe and rolls his eyes at it. It's a nice room, yeah, but don't they have something like it at the Hinata castle? They were royalty too. His soon to be husband is way too easy to please. Does he have any standards?

Some ten minutes later, Hinata steps out with a smile. Now this one, while again polite, is a bit less forced than the others. 

"So," Atsumu unglues himself from the wall, "is it tuh yer liking, prince Hinata?"

"Ah yes, it feels very comfortable, thank you."

Even if the feeling is genuine, Hinata's words sound robotic, the way he's speaking sounds like he's reading from a script he's just then started rehearsing. There's a mask on his tone of voice and even on his face, to a lesser extent. And Atsumu is supposed to marry him. 

He had never kid himself in this regard. When do royals ever marry for love? Atsumu didn't even have the time to meet people he could theoretically fall in love with, they were always other royals or ambassadors, politicians or castle staff. 

He still hadn't ever thought he'd marry such a wild card.

"A'right, the tour continues. My room and 'Samu's are on that," He pointed, "corridor to yer left, the ones with golden lions on the doors."

As they moved on, Atsumu explained every room and what they were used for, as expected from a tour guide. But they only covered the second floor, if you don't count the throne room that takes up most of the first floor. 

"I s'ppose ya'd want tuh see downtown now." Atsumu sighed. 'Samu's comin' with us if yah don't mind. Follow me."

They get Osamu from the library. And the guards, Kuroo and Bokuto, who introduce themselves to Hinata with pleasure, meet them by the carriage. 

By then the rain from before had thinned. The smell of humidity hung in the air, Atsumu and everyone else there being used to it already. A quick thought popped into his head, regarding his fiance and how this weather might affect him.

Hinata himself looked unbothered enough.

"So you're the prince from Taiyou, huh?" Kuroo questions before they get inside. 

"Yeah." Hinata smiles with pride.

"How's it like?"

"Home."

"I mean-"

"I know what you meant." The smile turns into a lopsided grin. "And that's how I can describe it to you, home."

The guard furrows his eyebrows, snickering. "Well, if yah say so."

Him and Bokuto turn around to get to the driver's seat, the latter biting his own lips to keep from bursting out into laughter. It was quite a funny interaction to watch.

"Well, prince Hinata," Osamu calls as the three take their spots inside the vehicle, "what is your favorite thing about Taiyou?"

"Ah that's easy!! Ukai's pork buns!" Hinaga replies as they start to move and Atsumu stares out the window. 

"What's that?"

"Food!"

That piqued Osamu interest, the boy leaning a bit forward. "Food?" 

"Yeah, it's buns filled with pork, of course, you can stuff it with quite a lot of things but pork filling is my favorite! And Ukai has a bakery so close to the castle, he makes extra for me. Also some doriyaki for my sister."

"Oh, I like doriyaki. You have a sister?"

"Yeah! She's thirteen, her name's Natsu." Hinaga sneezes then, it sounds exactly like a damn kitten. "Sorry."

"Bless you." Osamu days, judging Atsumu with a side glance when he doesn't say it too.

"Ah yea, bless you." He does it, only to appease his twin.

"Is your sister coming to the ceremony?"

"I think so, yeah. She's gonna freak when she sees your castle, like going woaaaaaaaah all around."

He means just as he did himself?

"I find it hard to believe ours is that much bigger than yours at Taiyou."

"But it is!! Yours has two separate buildings and a bridge!"

Atsumu snickers at this, still facing the world outside. And don't ask him how but he knows Osamu is grinning with a sense of amusement. Osamu, the deadpan one, was amused by a simple statement. Oh how much better life would be for everyone involved in this insanity if his twin was the one marrying the Taiyouian prince instead. But oh, the gods hated Atsumu, didn't they?

The two continued comparing castles until the driver parked. Atsumu steps out first to help his fiance down while Osamu stands to his left side and the guards wait by each end. 

"Woah-" Hinata gasps as he looks around. "The streets are so wide!!"

"That's… whacha focus on?" Atsumu questions.

Osamu clears his throat, interrupting, "Prince Hinata, what would yah like to see first?"

"Ah..." The foreign prince squints his eyes and thinks as the people around them start to take notice of them.

They crowd around from enough of a distance. Still their whispered chatter drills into Atsumu's skull. And there was a time when he would snap at them but what was part of why his public image needs a makeover, subsequently part of why he now is engaged to someone he does not know. So now, he wordlessly gritted his teeth and bore it in frustration. 

"I can't choose! What do you usually do, Osamu-san, Atsumu-san?"

"We actually don't come down 'ere a lot."

"What, really??"

"It's usually very crowded and we got a lotta do back at the castle."

"Oh…"

"If we may, your Highnesses!" Bokuto steps in. "Today there's a flea market down at the docks. They sell stuff from all over!"

"That's true." Kuroo adds. "You might find something from Taiyou there, prince Hinata."

"Oh that sounds cool!! Can we go there then?" He asks, turning to Osamu.

"Sure."

It's a fifteen minute walk to the docks from where they parked. Atsumu is yet again forced to take the role of tour guide. Once they reach the market though, Hinata speds off towards the tents, leaving the other four behind. Bokuto and Kuroo laugh before the latter goes after him.

"Bokuto-san!!" Prince Hinata calls after a little bit of searching. "You were right! I found something from Taiyou!!"

"Nice, prince Hinata!!" The man walks beside Atsumu, not letting him fall behind. 

Ah it seems he would have to learn what it was that Hinata found there. When they reach him, his fiance holds up what looks like a long cylinder piece of… something Atsumu couldn't recognize. 

"Ah, what is it??" Bokuto questioned.

"It's called a shakuhachi." An unfamilar voice responds from behind the stand. "Hello, your Highnesses." He greets the princes, who nods back in acknowledgement.

"Yeah!" Hinata smiles. "It's like a flute, made of bamboo. It's used a lot for meditation, not really for public performances. It sounds really pretty though!"

"How do you know all that?" The vendor inquires with an arched eyebrow.

The foreign prince grins at him. "I'm from Taiyou, where they make them."

"He's the prince of Taiyou, Kageyama." Kuroo adds.

"O-Oh!" His eyes widden. "Your Highness, I'-I'm suh- suhrry-"

Hinata giggles in response, setting the instrument down. "It's not a problem!" And then sneezes again. "Sorry-"

"Are yah feelin' okay there?" Atsumu questions. 

"Yeah, just a bit stuffy- Thanks for letting me see this, Kageyama! Bye for now!"

"Goodbye, your Highness."

They continue to wander through the market, Hinata searching for more items from Taiyou and getting increasingly more excited with each one he finds. It was a surprisingly high number. But when they all leave, Hinata has a small bag filled with items from Gekkou, and not his homeland. 

The little prince is sure full of surprises.

And it makes Atsumu wonder, not for the first time that day, how their marriage is going to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading and pls leave a comment!


	3. (shouyou's letters #1)

To Kenma Kozume,

Hey!! How are you doing, Kenma? Tadashi and Aone too! Miss me already? 

Gekkou is so huge, I feel like I might get lost here if I go out on my own. Luckily, I kind of can't, if I want to leave castle grounds I need to take a guard with me. Prince Atsumu and his twin took me to a flea market today and I found so much stuff from Taiyou, made me homesick... I mean, more than I already was.

I think I might be getting sick too, feel kind of stuffy and I've been sneezing a lot since we got back... Eh, I'll be fine. My room's really comfortable!

About Prince Atsumu... I don't know what to think of him right now. He seems distant. But if I'm being honest, so am I right now. Prince Osamu is nice though! He asked me a lot about Taiyou, it was good talking to him.

I'll be sure to get you, Tadashi and Aone invites for the ceremony, it's supposed to happen in like a month.

Hope you're all okay, and I miss you guys.

Love, Shouyou

To Akana Hinata,

Hey mom! I arrived in Gekkou really early, the Miyas greeted me well. I was given my own room close to the twins and everything! Their castle is so big, I haven't even seen it all yet.

They took me downtown today, I got to see a flea market! And the weather here is totally different, like you guys said, it was raining all morning and I haven't seen the sun yet but now it's already night!

Hope you guys don't miss me too much, you'll be coming here soon anyway, right? Love you, dad and Natsu a lot!!

Love, Shouyou


	4. i'm learning about you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here ya have a 1 am chapter lol hope you enjoy!

Waking up, Shouyou had felt like someone had hit him with a sack full of river rocks. The big heavy dark grey kind. His head pounded in pain, his throat itched dry and his nose was completely plugged up. The moment he opened his eyes, Shouyou regretted it and when he tried to sit up, his arms and legs turned to jelly, rendering him unable to move and get out of bed. 

Sick, in a country away from everyone he really knew, he gave up and kept lying on his bed. He didn't know who to call and even if he did, it wouldn't matter. He passed out again before he could say any names.

It would be another few minutes before anyone came for him. He was just vaguely aware of a voice he couldn't recognize calling him, but his voice wouldn't allow him to reply. And at some point, something weighed on his forehead - probably a wet towel.

By the time he was fully awake again, he caught a glimpse of one of Miya twins sitting at the edge of his bed. He pulls himself up to sit his back against the frame. This is enough to catch his attention.

"Yer a terrible liar, prince Hinata."

Ah, that's Atsumu. His voice is a little bit deeper. 

"Huh?"

"Ya said ya were just stuffy yesterday."

"That's because I was!" Shouyou replies with a nasally voice, a blockage forming on his throat. "I didn't think I'd be this bad when I woke up."

"Well… I've been tasked with takin' care of ya for da day, so…" Atsumu says with as much interest as that of a cat being petted by someone they don't like, "do ya need anythin'?"

"Ah… I want water." He asks with a cough, emphasizing the need for it. "Please."

"A'right." His fiance stands up. "I'll be right back."

Right when he reaches the door, someone else is outside. Osamu knocks on the door before coming in.

"'Samu, ya wouldn't happen tuh want tuh grab a glass of water for my fiance now, would ya?"

"That's yer job, 'Tsumu." His twin fires back, making Atsumu stick his tongue out at him. When he's gone, Osamu turns to talk to Shouyou. "Prince Hinata, good afternoon. How ya feelin'?"

"Like a crowd of people stomped over me." 

"Oof-" He walks closer to the bed. "That bad, huh?"

Shouyou moans right then as he feels pain stabs between his eyebrows. "A headache?! Now?!" He hisses. "I never had a headache before…"

"Ya gotta go back tuh sleep then." Osamu goes towards the lightswitch and turns the lights off.

"But I just-" Cough. "I just woke up!"

"Well, what else can ya do?"

Shouyou sighs and groans, throwing his head back. "Fine. I'll just wait for my water cause my throat is killing me."

Because Osamu doesn't verbally respond, Shouyou doesn't know what his reaction is. But a thought pops into his head and it's a reminder. 

"Ah- prince Osamu… I wrote letters to my family and friends back in Taiyou last night. Could-" Three coughs. "Could you tell me how to send them?"

There's small pause before his soon to be brother-in-law replies. "Yer not thinkin you'll sneak off after 'Tsumu and I leave ya tuh send those letters, are ya?"

"Wha-?" Shouyou hisses again, squinting his eyes as he continues, "No! Not at all!"

"Prince Hinata."

"How the hell did you figure?!"

Osamu snickers. "Just had a feelin'. I"ll help ya send those letters after ya recover, prince Hinata."

Shouyou pouts at this, crossing his arms over his chest.

"'Ey-" Atsumu's voice reaches them before they see him entering the room, interrupting their conversation. "Why da fuck is it so dark in 'ere?"

"Prince Hinata has a headache." His twin responds.

"Yea but I do need to see the glass to drink it-"

Atsumu, closest to the lightswitch, turns it on before handing him the drink. "'Ere ya go."

Shouyou gives him a smile. Even if it was out of obligation, his fiance did take care of him.

"Thank you, prince Atsumu."

The man squints at him for a mere second. Shouyou only catches the movement because he's watching but what the hell did it mean? He's drinking the water when Atsumu replies.

"Yer welcome, prince Hinata."

"Ah-" He says after emptying the glass. "Where-"

Atsumu takes it from him. "Don't worry 'bout it."

"Just take that nap, prince Hinata." His twin adds as both walk to the door and turn off the lights again. "We'll see ya later."

*

He feels better before nightfall. His nose is still not fully working right and the coughing and sneezing still comes every now and again but Shouyou considers it a blessing that his throat doesn't itch as much anymore and that his headache is gone.

There were quite a few things he missed during the day. For example, he was supposed to have a meeting with the wedding planners as well as one with his history tutor to have their first study session. That first engagement would happen another day when his immune system didn't hate him. But as for the study session, Atsumu told him to meet his tutor after he woke up and managed to leave the room. The only problem was that he was not aware where the library was yet. So he had to ask his fiance to walk him there.

"'ave fun, prince Hinata."

"Ah- thank you, prince Atsumu."

"See ya."

He leaves and Shouyou is left to handle the situation on his own. Taking a few seconds to prepare himself, Hinata pushes the library doors open at a slow pace, stepping inside with extra care. When inside, he looks around and marvels at the structure. The high shelves, some of which reach the actual ceiling, which itself is decorated with a large beautiful painting of what Shouyou is able to recognize as Gekkian gods, the stairs covered in red smooth carpet leading to a second floor of wooden tables sat by a large silver window. His eyes can't take all the details in at once but he can tell the place is beautiful. 

"P-Prince Hinata?"

"GAH!" Shouyou jumps when a voice calls him, from somewhere he can't quite see. "Ye-Yeah, that's me. And you are? Where are you, actually?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Someone plops down on his left side and he takes a step back before noticing the mobile ladder she's holding onto. "I was putting away some books. I'm Yachi Hitoka, your history tutor."

"Hi!" He greets. "Nice to meet you."

"And you too." She smiles at him. "Uh, I should ask before we start, do you know anything about Gekkou already?"

Shouyou opens his mouth while he thinks, seeing if he does have any knowledge about the kingdom. He closes it again when he finds his answer. "No…"

Yachi giggles. "That's okay. I just need to know where we should start. I.. I need to pull out some books, would you mind taking a seat and waiting for a little bit?"

"Ah, sure!"

As Yachi moves the ladder, Shouyou walks up the stairs with his right hand tracing the handle right up to the top. He takes a seat and watches his tutor before she begins to struggle with bringing a pile of books to their table. When it becomes clear thag said pile was going to fall before she reached him, he stands and runs towards her to grab half of the books. 

"Prince Hinata, that's not necessary, I-"

"It's alright!" He smiles at her. "You'll be dealing with teaching me for I don't even know how long, this is just something I can do for you back!"

"Well, but that's my job." She rebuttals as they walk together.

"Still!"

She blushes, turning away. "Thank you."

"No problem!"

They set the book down before sitting themselves. "Okay. Starting from the beginning."

She opens one and starts reading it for him. Later she asks him to read some passages himself so she can question him about them.

It seems as though most historians agree that Gekkou's history is extensive and that a lot of it never got documented. However early records talk about how the kingdom was most likely formed as a state. It used to be separate small villages close to each other who were united by a shared goal to protect their lands from invaders from the South. The day the union was officiated on paper became a national holiday. And said paper was kept in perfect conditions somewhere in the Miya castle. The battle was heavily one sided and the weather caused problems for the invaders as well. The borders were set due to how far they managed to push them away. But many centuries later, the descendents of said invaders tried again and managed to conquer the land for a while. So there was also an independence day. And this battle, for their independency was a lot bloodier than the first one. And this was all Shouyou managed to properly retain in his brain for the day. He was surprised at himself with how he managed to memorize the dates and some important names. 

"You're a really fast learner, prince Hinata!" Yachi compliments him, closing the last book when they're done. "You did great today!"

"Thanks, Yachi!" He smiles back at her. "But it's all because I have a really good teacher!"

"Ai- I-" Red tints her cheeks again and she buries her face in her hands. "Ahaaa, thank you."

"Sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"No, not at all, prince Hinata!" She lets out a whine. "I just get embarrassed easily." 

He laughs. "That's cute! I don't mean to make you embarrassed though!"

"I know, I know." She shakes her hand. "I'm trying to work on it… My girlfriend is helping."

"Cool! What's her name?"

"Kiyoko Shimizu. She's actually a part of the staff in charge of the library."

"What- really?"

"I- yeah…" She says as she brings her head up, blinking several times. "You're really interested in listening to me?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Oh no- no reason." She beams. "It's just nice. Thank you, prince Hinata."

"Come on, there's nothing to thank me for. But hey- can I ask, where are you from? You don't have the same accent as everyone else I met so far."

"Ah… well…" She fidgets for a second. "I'm from Taiyou, actually."

"What?!" He stands up, pushing his chair back. "Really?"

"Yes." She giggles. "I've been here for a while… seven years, I think."

"Wow!"

Shouyou's jaw is ajar, he's aware of that. But the fact that he now has someone who can understand just how badly he misses home is hitting and it hits as hard as the hammer hits the bell in the clock at the village around the Hinata castle. Despite it being a good feeling, it's also a tad bit suffocating. He needed a minute.

"Prince Hinata?"

"Ah- yeah?"

Huh. Shouyou hadn't thought his voice would come out that hoarse. And when did the lump in his throat get there?

"Y-You're crying!"

"I-" He touches his left cheek, working his way up to the spot under his eye, feeling it wet. "I am…"

"Wh-Wh-What do I do?! W-What do you need? I- Sho-Should I call prince Atsumu?! I-"

Shouyou gulps then, more tears falling down his face as he half chuckles. "I'm okay…" He managed to get out. 

But just saying that makes him realize that he's not. Aside from the sickness that took over from the moment he regained consciousness, little things have been bugging him since he arrived. How the light switches were placed inside the rooms instead of outside, how the handles were made with iron and not wood, how the sun didn't seem to shine as bright and clouds were darker, how the color of the lights were also different, and the fact that the people of Gekkou had slightly different accents that sounded similar enough but still not quite the same, how the doors slid open instead of being pushed or pulled open and so much more.

"I just miss home. So much. Here it's so different and it's not bad at all, I just- It's all so unfamiliar and there's no one I know well enough to help me. I miss my mom being overbearing, I miss my dad making stupid jokes I had to force myself to laugh at, I miss my sister dragging me everywhere, I miss the lunches that we had and the chocolate pieces mom and dad sent us whenever they couldn't make dinner, I miss seeing Kenma trimming the bushes from the windows, Aone ruffling my hair from behind every time he saw me walking around town, Tadashi being slightly threatening when he saw I wasn't taking care of myself as I should, I miss Ukai's bakery and how he greeted me so warmly every day. I just-" He chokes with a sob, "I feel so alone."

It takes a while, but eventually Yachi speaks and her voice holds so much compassion, it's almost like it hugs him. "I know all too well how that feels and I can't say it just goes away. It does get easier to deal with, especially if you have people to support you. And if you ever need to talk, I'm always willing to listen."

He chuckles lightly in response, a sound that's been bubbling up in his throat from the second she started talking. "Thank you, that means a lot, Yachi."

"No problem, prince Hinata."

"Uh…"

"What- What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all!" He smiles, using the sleeves of his coat to wipe away the tears under his eyes. "It's just that I just cried, a whole lot, in front of you and basically poured out my heart so hearing you address me so formally is weird. I already consider you a friend!"

"Oh!" She blushes for a third time in their conversation, managing to look at him in the eye. "So-"

"Call me Shouyou!"

*

He leaves the library with half of the weight that's been sitting on his chest since he left Taiyou gone. And he smiles, teeth showing, at nothing in particular. 

"Whatcha grinin' at?"

Osamu walks into his field of vision, hand behind his back. It makes Shouyou jump back in surprise. And then he sees there's a grin on his face too. But the closer he gets to Shouyou, the smaller it gets.

"Were ya cryin'?"

"Ah, prince Osamu! I was, a bit-" He laughs. "I'm okay though. And to answer your question, it's because I made my first friend."

"Aye, prince Hinata, ya wound me, I thought we'd gotten tuh be friends already."

"ARG, NO, SORRY!" He wiggles his fingers in front of himself. "You're right! Then you should call me Shouyou too."

"Then ya gotta call me Osamu, dontcha?"

"It's a deal."

"Good. But say then, ya still want tuh send those letters to yer family and friends?"

Shouyou hops up with the reminder. "Yeah! Yes! They're in my room, just give me a minute!"

With what seems to be the actual speed of light, Shouyou runs out. It takes him a second to remember the way but it's worse when he needs to get back. The library is on the third floor, which he hasn't been properly introduced to yet so the moment he takes a left after going up the stairs, he is lost.

"Osamu?" He calls and gets no reply.

Well, not from Osamu, anyway.

"Yer on first name basis with my brother, prince Hinata?"

"GAH!" Shouyou jumps back. "Prince Atsumu? Why do both of you need to sneak up on me today?!"

His fiance squints at him in silence. Waiting for a response for the question he made, Shouyou figured.

"Well… yeah."

"Hm."

"Prince Atsumu, I- I'm kinda lost again." He rubs the back of his neck. "Could you help me get back to the library? Osamu is helping me send my letters to Taiyou and he's waiting for me there."

"Sure thing, prince Hinata."

Atsumu leads the way and Shouyou follows. When Osamu sees them arriving together, his eyes dart between Shouyou and his brother a couple of times 

"Gettin' along better," He stops at Atsumu, "are ya?"

"Shuddup, 'Samu, I should be sayin' that tuh ya."

Osamu snickers without a verbal reply and Shouyou eyes them for a second. Then, he purses his lips before actually saying anything. 

"Anyway! I want to send out my letters! Prince Atsumu," He turns to him, "Wanna come with us?"

Before replying, his fiance hums, glancing at him. "Sure thing."


	5. i see you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI IT'S BEEN A HOT SECOND HASN'T IT  
> IM SORRY  
> HOPE YOU ENJOY THE NEW CHAPTERS

It was damn near impossible not to like Hinata Shouyou and it was frustrating to admit it. Atsumu himself wouldn't, at least not to people he didn't trust. 

His fiance was polite, if slightly naive but also probably the most cheerful person ever. Every conversation he had with him, Atsumu found himself fighting off smiles. His muscles grew tired of resisting eventually. Hinata marvelled at everything and shot questions, laughing at himself if he realized the responses might be somewhat obvious, he was eager to learn about Gekkou even if he was hesitant to call it his home, he treated everyone his kindness and like they were old friends. In short, was just such a pleasant person to be around, in any way shape or form. 

And the only person he did tell this to was his own twin, who shook his head at him with a knowing grin, nearly first thing in the morning. 

"There ya go, numbnuts, did it kill ya?" 

Atsumu then snarled, glaring up at Osamu with narrow eyes. "I hate yer guts."

"Not more than I hate yers." His brother petted him on the back. "But c'mon we gotta-"

"The orphanage, I know, yea yea." Atsumu sighed, throwing his head back with a sight before pushing himself off his chair. "Shrimpy better be awake already."

"Somethin' makes ya think he isn't?"

"Dunno."

"Then what-"

"Nothing, less just go." 

Part of the political arrangement that was Atsumu's wedding to the Taiyian prince was the two of them having public outings to flaunt their "blessed union". So if Atsumu looked more pissed than usual, it wasn't due to the sunshine of a partner he had to take along, but rather to the fact he had to pull a publicity stunt in the first place. 

"Prince Atsumu?"

Hinata's voice pulls him out of his own thoughts while the three of them are inside the carriage, on its way to the orphanage. Losing yourself in wonderings and inner monologues about your own situation might get you to be a bit mentally absent from the present for a second, don't they? 

He shoots his head at Hinata. "Huh?"

"Ah nothing," The boy rubs the back of his neck, "you just seem a bit… stressed, I guess."

Atsumu huffs in response with a smirk. "Sharp, are ya, prince Hinata?"

His fiance opens his mouth and closes it a couple of times, struggling to retort. Atsumu ends up sighing.

"Sorry. I am stressed. Don't really want tuh talk about it."

"Ah… It's okay." 

Osamu changes the subject but Atsumu doesn't partake in the conversation anymore. He just lets his mind wander into the minefield that are his thoughts again. Because, he knows exactly what he's doing with Hinata and he finds it hard to stop. But the prince doesn't deserve his snappy rude remarks. It's just a knee jerk reaction. And if he were to be honest, he was just tired as well. His eyes didn't quite burn and the eyelids weren't necessarily heavy but there was such a general sense that they wanted to rest. As he looked out the carriage's window, Atsumu, swaying with the vehicle's motion, was nearly rocked into gentle easy sleep, like a less than a year old baby.

When the carriage stops, Kuroo is the one who opens the door for them to step out. The sound of voices outside hits and Atsumu is shocked awake again. 

The princes are met with a bit of a crowd along with cameras flashed and microphone that are shoved on their faces. A quick glance to Hinata and Atsumu sees signs of overwhelment in his face. Rapidly blinking wide eyes and a tense jaw. He puts the side of his hand over his eyes, moving along as the guards help the three of them get to the front door. 

Atsumu wants to take the lead, at least among Hinata and Osamu, but that's not what he's supposed to do, he remembers. Just the thought is enough to make him feel like he wants to go back to sleep, maybe if he just runs towards the carriage again and locks the door, they'll just drive him away. 

With a deep sigh, Atsumu closes his eyes for a second. As he opens them again, he turns to his fiance and holds out an arm. Hinata, seemingly understanding what the gesture really was, forces a smile and takes it, placing his other hand on the top of Atsumu's forearm. 

Their proximity feels skin-crawling wrong since there's no personal reasons behind it. Atsumu gets a strange sense of feeling dirty, as though he was going against his own moral codes - which might not be too far off from the truth.

Meanwhile, Osamu falls behind. Atsumu curses him in his mind for a multitude of reasons and with a concerningly big vocabulary of swear words that Atsumu has picked up from old books about the gods. It's mostly in old language but Atsumu finds them to be both funny and aggressive enough to convey the amount of anger he has at ridiculous things.

The orphanage's door slides open for the two of them and cold air hits their skin. Oh the blessing of ceiling fans. The air out was stuffy, almost suffocating. With the sun not completely out but still shining light and zero wind, this was sure to be one of the hottest days of the year for Gekkou. Atsumu imagined it was nothing that big for Hinata thought, heat was the last thing he seemed to be bothered by. Although if squinted hard enough, Atsumu could see that he was sweating with that head of fluffy hair of his. 

"Ya Royal Highness!"

"Mister Takeda." Atsumu greets the orphanage's manager. "Good mornin'."

"And to ya, as well, prince Atsumu." He smiles and bows at him, before doing the same towards his fiance. "Prince Hinata. It's an honor to receive members of two royal families, your highnesses. The kids are all especially excited."

Before Atsumu can reply, Hinata unlinks their arm and holds his hands clapped together in front of his mouth. "I can't wait to meet them!"

With a short laugh, Takeda nods. "They were ecstatic to learn ya were comin' today, prince Hinata."

"They were?!"

"Very much so!"

The foreign prince's lips wobbles as he answers. "That's so sweet!"

Atsumu snickers, half chuckling. "I think you'll get along with them great."

"So will ya." Osamu announces his presence, holding Atsumu by the shoulder. "Maybe even more than Shouyou."

This makes Hinata double over his own stomach, trying to suppress his own fit of laughter. Atsumu sides him with a frown before looking at his twin.

"Ha ha."

Osamu grins with the victory. "We should go on ahead, mister Takeda, please lead the way."

"Oh, of course! But where would ya like to visit first, the playroom or the nursery?"

"Either is fine by me." He replies before looking between Atsumu and Hinata "Ya two?"

"Babies!!" Hinata says with small jumps at the same time Atsumu shrugs and says, "The nursery is fine."

He glances at his fiance as Hinata did him, snickering. It was a cute sight, the foreign prince clapping hands, excited at the prospect of meeting orphan children. 

That’s when they hear the reporters flocking by the entrance, two of them being let in by another employee. They talk close enough to the four of them, Atsumu’s hairs on his arms perk up as if they were plotting something terrible when in reality he knew, they were just collecting information for an article and holding cameras to take pictures of him and Hinata together with the children. But that was enough to make him want to audibly sigh as loud as he could. Instead, he breathed in and held out his arm for Hinata.

“Shall we, then?”

It takes him a minute but the younger one nods, plasters on a smile and links his own arm with Atsumu’s. They walk in together. 

Atsumu and prince Hinata are the cover of the Gekkou National Newspaper two days later. Pictures of them arm in arm walking towards the orphanage are greeting every reader and Atsumu stares at the article with burning anger in his eyes. He wondered how it was that the public perceived this, did they really believe it? Pretending to be an actual couple seemed excessive to him, what did the people care if it was a marriage based on love or not? His parents however thought that selling the fairy tale was essential to better his image, as he already knew. In theory, Atsumu understood the publicity stunt very well, now on a human - as in why everyone does the things they do - level, he did not which put him at odds with just about everything he’s had to do since Hinata arrived at their castle.

The library was a nice place to think these thoughts and not have the sudden urge to throw breakable objects against a wall. Or it would’ve been if he’s been alone all throughout the process.

No, eventually, Hinata and his history tutor came in, unaware the room held someone else inside. Atsumu remained quiet as they made their way towards one of the bookcases, watching from the corner of his eyes with a large scowl on his face. Part of him wanted to snap at them to get out, truly, but years of disciplinary training bottled up that impulse and locked it under seven keys. Instead, he merely huffed, dropping the newspaper on the table as he pushed the chair he sat on back, standing up to make his leave.

“Oh, prince Atsumu!” Hinata catches him before he can reach the first floor. “We didn’t know you were here, I’m sorry-”

“’s fine.” He lets out through gritted teeth without stopping. “’m leaving, ‘ave yer lesson in peace. See ya later, prince Hinata.”

The other replies right when Atsumu reaches and opens the library door. “Ah- okay… Thank you.” It’s slightly cut short as the door closes behind him.

He walks to his room with his hands stuffed on the pockets of his pants, tucked in under his long cape coat. His plan was to sulk there. It is ruined when Osamu intercepts him and drops a bomb on him.

“Mom and dad want tuh talk tuh us ‘bout the Hikage trip. We’re supposed tuh leave in two days.”

Atsumu lets his head drop as his eyes roll. “‘Kay then. To their office, yah?”

His twin nods and they move on. Osamu is the one who knocks when they arrive at the room, Atsumu is the one who shuts the door when both are inside, his father sitting on the main desk chair as their mother reads on the recliner far on the left corner. She shuts her book when she notices her children.

“My boys!” She stands up and ruffles both of their heads with small gestures, smiling. “Thank you for calling your brother, Osamu.”

“We just want tuh make sure ye boys know everythin’ ye need tuh know for the meetin with the Ushijima family.” Their father starts, eyeing the two as if to prompt them to spit out all of that information.

Atsumu begins. “Ah yes, the third royal family to rule Higake.”

Osamu continues, citing the words from memory with a bored tone. “ Ushijima rose to power a few decades ago with a coup d’etat when the kingdom was under the iron grip of a dictator in a revolution. His son, Wakatoshi, is set to be crowned soon.”

“We are visiting as neighboring guests, to learn more about the kingdom before the official coronation. They speak Tohoku, their currency is the crowns...”

“Which begs the question, how come wasn’t prince Hinata invited to come with us?”

Their father breathes in deep. “It is good ye two ‘ave a solid grasp of the situation, I would not seem this uninterested in presence of the Ushijima royal family however.”

“Of course.” The twins reply together.

“As for yer question, Osamu, the kingdom of Hikage and Teiyou have a history of war that has yet to be resolved, is it all that I know about the matter. Regardless, it is still possible that he may be coming with us on the coronation since the marriage will have gone through by then. You boys are dismissed.”

They bow, leave, and wonder why the hell that meeting was so necessary. Atsumu was willing to bet it was more for their parents sake then their own - to ease their anxieties about the twins forgetting things or remembering them wrong. 

He goes the opposite direction when Osamu takes a right towards their rooms. “See ya later, ‘Samu.”

“Where are ya going?” 

“To be alone for a bit.”

“Ah, I see. Night, ‘Tsumu.”

“Night.” Atsumu mumbles, walking away.

The sky out is dark purple with a twinge of black over their heads. It must be around eight o’clock, Atsumu thinks, it being fall and all, and he realizes he should be getting to bed soon. However his mind has a few too many thoughts and he decided to wander around instead. His feet take him to the back garden, majorly empty at that time of the day. Atsumu would’ve thought that there was absolutely no one there at all if he hadn’t caught Hinata’s silhouette under the cherry blossom tree at the very back.

Just his luck.

“Prince Atsumu.” Hinata greets him, meeting him at the archway before he could turn on his heels and walk away. “You don’t have to leave every time you see me around, you know? And your pretend politeness is also weird as heck, you can be your sour puss self when nobody’s catching, I won’t go around telling people. And if you want to just be alone, I was already leaving anyway.”

Atsumu stares at him with furrowed eyebrows in silence for a mere second before asking, “Why do ya care?”

“I know we’re not close, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I want to see you miserable.”

“Ya could just not care.”

“Hm…” Hinata cocks his head to the side as one of his eyes close, “but that doesn’t feel right to me.”

At this, Atsumu chuckles, bending forward. “Shrimpy, yer funny.”

“Shr- Funny?!

“Yeah.” He straightens his back, putting his hands on his hips. “Thanks. Ya did lift up my mood. Just a tad.”

“Ah well,” Hinata rubs the back of his neck, eying him up, “we’re kind of in the same boat, aren’t we?”

Atsumu takes a moment to really process and understand what he meant. And oh how stupid he feels when it hits him because for the first time, he realizes that Hinata was also forced enter a marriage he didn’t want.

And so he shakes his head, bitter giggling at himself. “We really are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS FOR READING AND PLS LEAVE A COMMENT!


	6. (shouyou's letters #2)

To Shouyou Hinata,

Sweetie, I’m glad you’ve been well received! Natsu has so many questions about the castle and land, I told her she’d have the chance to see everything herself soon. Let us know if you need anything from home, we’ll send it right away!

I would love to read about prince Atsumu, so would your father. Natsu has a better preference for prince Osamu and she says she’ll never talk to you again if you don’t talk about him in your next letter.

Much love, Akana.

  
  


To Shouyou Hinata,

Hey, Shou. Aone and Tadashi already miss you, or so they say. 

I hope everyone over there is treating you okay. And don’t forget to take care of your health, you know Gekkou’s weather is different, that’ll take you some getting used to. It’s good you’ve already made friends… And I’m not even surprised really. We’ll be waiting for the invites.

And… miss you too, Shouyou.

Love, Kenma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meet me over at twitter at @tobeflyhaikyuu!!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading and pls leave a comment 🖤


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